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Optimizing Data Center Power Use with Infrastructure Management

An article in the industry journal Datacenter Dynamics recently discussed data center infrastructure management provider iTRACS’s new strategy for its Converged Physical Infrastructure Management software suite and how that applies to optimizing data center power use.

Company officials focused on their new PowerEye methodology, calling it a “best-practices strategy” for reducing energy consumption – both for IT and facilities infrastructure. It gives users a visualization of both IT and core infrastructure assets, identifies energy-saving opportunities and creates a plan of action to pursue them.

They said the proper strategy has “four basic steps: visualize, analyze, manage and optimize.” Visualization is done via CPIM's capabilities, and the way company officials explain it, the software analyzes data, measures PUE or DCiE throughout the electrical infrastructure and “finds areas where power is lost.”

iTRACS president and CEO Elizabeth Given said that by using the product, “IT and facilities managers can collaboratively manage power circuits through the entire physical infrastructure as a holistic power chain.”

In May, TMCnet reported that iTRACS and TDB Fusion, a European-based IT management systems, process management, and integration vendor, announced a partnership agreement to address the growing need for enterprise-wide management of physical infrastructure.

“This enables organizations to integrate the management of the physical infrastructure -- IT assets, facilities assets, and building management systems – in a more comprehensive systems management framework," said Given at the time. "The goal is to create the seamless data center, where there is orchestration of services and collaboration between IT, business units, facilities, and building management, all within a systems management context."

Last month TMCnet interviewed Server Technology’s (News - Alert) Senior Director of Software and Firmware Development Calvin Nicholson who said “in the data center world, you have the facility side and the IT side and the DCIM and our products bridge the gap between IT and facilities. DCIM can monitor information on the IT side and it can handle the heavy metal equipment like CRAC units, and air handling and all that kind of stuff from the facility side as well.”

David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.

Resources

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